As most of you know, my favorite "past time" is traveling. Having now been to 65 countries (yes, I had to throw that in there,) I can say that Brazil has topped the chart at #1. I visit as much as possible and have come to know the sites, culture, and food... and most importantly, the people.

Sadly, life in Brazil is hard for the huge majority of people. According to Google:

And while life is hard, I have come to find that Brazilians are some of the warmest and most caring people, always figuring out how to smile and laugh even in the midst of challenging life and economic situations. In Brazil I feel humbled to be surrounded by so much need, yet so much love and happiness. It is truly an eye-opener for my type-A, individualistic American perspective.

One woman, and specifically her cause, has become near and dear to my heart. I have shared a bit about the challenges Brazilians face, but for the unwanted animals on the streets it is even worse.

I met Elizabeth on a sunny day in Ipanema a few years ago. She was doing an adoption event at a pet store. I fail spectacularly every time I try to walk past an adoption event without stopping. It took a lot of self control to not adopt a kitten or two. But it did give me the opportunity to talk with her about her project. She began opening her doors to unwanted animals in 2015, as a single mother and after her husband had unexpectedly passed away . She said it was a way to heal their hearts.

Brazilians, by definition, have big hearts. But somehow Elizabeth's heart has found a way to grow even bigger. She takes in these unwanted animals, providing food, shelter and care, with the hopes of being able to find good homes for them all. That is hard given many people can't afford to even feed their families. Many of the animals have ugly backgrounds and require additional veterinary care. As you can imagine, the costs are high, especially based on Brazilian incomes (minimum wage is about $250 USD/month.)

Her first rescue was a dog named Candinho (little candy) and hence the name of her organization today - Projeto Candinho e Cia (Candinho and Cia Project.) They have since rescued hundreds of animals including cats, dogs, chickens, rabbits, birds, goats, and horses. You can see more about her work on her IG: https://www.instagram.com/projetocandinhoecia/

Elizabeth has also recently faced health issues, thus leading to her inability to work. She receives a small disability payment monthly that covers her personal expenses. But for the animals, she saves and scrapes by, and relies on the donations of people who care about her project and the furry creatures that she rescues and rehabilitates. Her motto is "first them, then me."

She lives in a modest home in a low income area of the city. I have personally been to her home and it is extremely clean and well kept, as are the animals. It takes her about 8 hours every day to attend to all of the animals, give medication, walk the dogs, and clean the rooms where they live. At this moment she has 25 cats and 15 dogs. Of the 15 dogs, 7 are too old to be adopted and will stay with her until they cross the rainbow bridge. The rest of the dogs and all of the cats are available for adoption.

This is where you come in. First and best option - adopt! And while that may sound crazy given that these animals are in Brazil, there are options! And I'm always happy to help and travel to Brazil as a tour guide if you want to get in a little vacay as well.

Second, and probably more realistic for most, is to donate. That is why I have created this campaign. My initial plan was to do a fundraiser on FB for my birthday. But given I cannot tag her cause on the platform, coupled with the money exchange hoops that must be jumped through, I decided to create this go fund me page instead.

All of the money raised, outside of the cut that Go Fund Me takes, will go directly to Elizabeth and her animals. I use the "Wise" app to transfer money to Brazil, and then through a Venmo type app (called Pix) within Brazil to transfer to her. She runs fundraising campaigns at times but usually for a specific reason (ie emergency surgery, lack of food supplies, etc.) The money raised here will be used as needed for general animals expenses. Imagine the cost to feed 15 dogs and 25 cats. The amount of cat litter. And something most of us take for granted, the purchase of filtered water for them. That doesn't take into account medications, beds, toys, cleaning supplies, etc etc etc. You can be assured that your donation will be appreciated and used wisely.

I am happy to answer any questions or provide additional information if you would like. I truly appreciate (as do Elizabeth and her furry babies) any kind of support you can give. Thank you!